“The Hobbit” off to a slow start

“The Hobbit”, the first installment of the trilogy, is off to a slow start, but lovers of the novel will still enjoy the film.

The film begins with a brief explanation as to how the dwarves lost their home to Smaugthe dragon, and reintroduces viewers to the bucolic Shire and Bilbo, kinsman of Frodo from “Lord of the Rings”.

Bilbo’s happy life is disturb by Gandalf the Wizard and his band of rowdy dwarves. They disrupt Bilbo’s home by eating his food, playing Frisbee inside, and having burping contest. This begins the dark journey that lies ahead for Bilbo, but the the first third of the nearly three hour film is similar to a children’s special. The film is shot in 48 frames per second, which makes the images seem brighter and oddly fake. However, Most theaters will not be able to show that version of the film.

Bilbo leaves his home to take an adventure that leads him to meet up with mountain trolls, goblins, demonic wolves and more. Gollum, the creepy big eyed ring-loving creature, returns as the two play an abbreviated version of the book’s riddle game.

“The Hobbit” is meant to be a shorter book version of “The Lord of the Rings” made for children. However, Peter Jackson takes the film in  a darker direction. While the first film was off to a slow start, the trilogy is sure to appease the many lovers of the book trilogy.

Shanika Simmons